Review REVIEW GWS vs DOGS YES WE ARE IN THE ******* GRAND FINAL! YOU ******* BEAUTY

[Trugo3013]

Matey,

In my family it goes back to the 1890s depression, WW1, the "Great" Depression, WW2, the great days of the VFA, entry into the VFL, the flag of '54, the Grand Final of 61, the selling of Quinlan, Round et al, to cover the crooks who ran the social club, the spectre of club death in '89, the morale-sapping final defeats of 85 et al, the changing of the name to "Western Bulldogs," and the more recent exit of Brendan Mc, Simon G, the captain Griffen, sacking of a CEO in only his first year.

Luckily, we have landed a genius coach in Luke Beveridge and, Jesus, haven't things changed from there. Just as Hawthorn, on their knees and just escaping a merger with Melbourne, took a punt on Clarkson, our club has taken on a bloke who knows how to make a footy club really resonate.

For the generations of Footscray supporters and their families, who have been the lifeblood of this club, going back to the 1870s, who have endured mass unemployment, war, grinding poverty and ridicule, thank you Luke Beveridge, Peter Gordon (and for 1989), for making our dream a reality.

I spoke to my cousin tonight about the game. We share an uncle who died on the Kokoda Track at the age of 23. Born and bred Footscray boy. Cuz and I reminisced about his letters from the front in WW2. Every letter was full of questions about the Dogs and their prospects.

For us, it's not just footy is it? It is about family, community, loyalty, respect, and dare I say love, for those who created us and are now not with us, and therefore belief in ourselves.

We are so fortunate to be alive now and hold that Bulldogs banner high. For ourselves and for those whose mighty shoulders we stand on.

Go you mighty, beautiful boys, you sons of the West, who made old Footscray's name.

Exceptional post. Thank you.

 

[dogwatch]

Also McLean was huge in those last two minutes. Watch the video here - some crucial possessions. Great game from the young fella.
http://www.afl.com.au/video/2016-09-24/watch-the-last-two-minutes-gws-v-wb

 

[Dry Rot]

passed out after the siren, drank 1/2 a bottle of gin and smoked 2 1/2 g of hash - im not in a drug induced coma dreaming am i?

Sorry mate, the hash got the better of you as the Giants won by 25.

Leave us a good suicide note post.

 

[Trugo3013]

Smith played some sort of game. Easily his best and most important for the club. More tackles than anyone on the field except Dunks. In two of his 4 goals he was at the start of the scoring chain and somehow got himself on the end of it.

I didn't know until after the game but I read a mate of his was killed during the week in a car crash, hence the black armband. Watch what he does after scoring his first goal.

How mentally tough is this bloke?

Did he what. Two weeks in a row.
He's come back from 3 ACLs and is just an animal.

 

[ScragCity]

Smith played some sort of game. Easily his best and most important for the club. More tackles than anyone on the field except Dunks. In two of his 4 goals he was at the start of the scoring chain and somehow got himself on the end of it.

I didn't know until after the game but I read a mate of his was killed during the week in a car crash, hence the black armband. Watch what he does after scoring his first goal.

How mentally tough is this bloke?

I couldnt possibly love a human more than I love Clay. If he is human that is. Go into the Clay Smith thread and find the link to his interview. Keep some tissues handy.

 

[Super Hans]

Yeaaaahhhh boiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii

 

[Kony Abbott]

After watching the replay, I still can't decide who the biggest hero was.
A part time ruckman who had to play virtually the whole game one out against the most fearsome ruck in the game?
The most maligned backman in the game who kept one of the best forwards in the game virtually possessionless?
An "ordinary local club small forward" who has kicked more goals in finals than any other player on our list?
A delisted VFL Geelong backman who constantly threw himself into contests he should never have got to?
A couple of guns who should never have played with the injuries they had a month ago?
A bloke who has overcome 3 knee recos and the death of a mate to kick four goals?
A couple of old blokes who would have retired if Bevo didn't change the club's culture?
A bit parts forward who dropped about 6 chest marks but kicked 2 clutch goals when we needed them?
A couple of kids who don't know what this pressure fuss is all about in finals?
Yeah we have stars like Bont, Jake, Jack, JJ, Easton, Picken and Dahl but the unsungs did us proud tonight. We wouldn't have won without them.

20 top 20 draft picks don't win you a premiership.
2 blokes getting 39 possessions (Selwood/Danger) each trying to do it all themselves without bringing the rest of their team mates with them don't win you a premiership

22 mates playing 100% for each other, all doing something special when it was needed, when all hope seemed gone - that's what makes you win a premiership. And a coach who has taught them how to do it together to the very end #inbevowetrust

Once more around, CHAMPION TEAM, once more.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

POTY

 

[compact72]

love the ****ing salt on the MB

• Adelaide
• North
• West Coast (some)
• Hawks (some)

 

[Dogs Rule]

I will say that there were a lot of Bulldogs supporters in tears at the stadium tonight....it made me feel less shitty about being a grown man in tears at the stadium tonight

Mate, I was caught between laughing, crying, shock, awe and in the end I was just standing around with a silly grin on my face suddenly feeling like I was floating on a cloud.

I thought about my 10-year-old self crying in my room after the 1992 Prelim, the devastation of 1997 and 1998 and then 2008, 2009 and 2010 when I wondered when this finals hell was going to end.

I thought about walking to the Western Oval with my Dad in rain, hail or shine with that freezing wind whipping through at the Barkly Street end and how my love of our club began.

I thought about EJ, Charlie, Dougy,
Granty and Bubba punching the ground in 1997 and I thought about how many years we've all waited for this day.

I thought about my Nan (and my late Pa) who were there in 1954 and how my Nan never thought she would see another Dogs grand final appearance, let alone a premiership. Think I might go and have a moment with Nan and then Pa later on.

It hasn't really hit me yet, but it will.

The pain, the heartbreak is now a relic of the past.

This is a new breed in more ways than one and we have a Grand Final to win.

Go Dogs! I can't wait to scream my lungs out on Saturday.

 

[Dry Rot]

I'm glad others have raised the mouthy Cameron - utter campaigner and useless today.

But he wasn't alone - there was lots of that and other "tough" stuff from the Giants. Seems they'd read comic books about how to be tough.

Compare them to the Swans the night before - they just let their genuinely tough (and fair) play do the talking against the hapless Cats.

I didn't like the Giants before today but now I really loathe them.

 

[100action]

I'm in prague and this win wasted my holiday.

Was 1pm and found free WI fi, was in old Town and checked scores to see dogs won by 6.

Made a b line straight for the hostel and spent the rest of the day watching highlights and fapping to various wce, adelaide, North aND St Kilda supporters.

Hoping the gf stuffs up my time in interlaken!

 

[Snake Charmer]

Congrats guys, sure it's been said a million times in this thread but how good was Libba Snr. That's whats footys about. Hope you guys win next week!

 

[Dry Rot]

Controversial post:

IMO Bev's predecessor Macca deserves some credit too tonight. Remember his "crack in" mantra?

It was there in spades throughout this finals series and most of the season.

And he wanted Clay Smith, and we can see why.

 

[Arkangel]

I'm in prague and this win wasted my holiday.

Was 1pm and found free WI fi, was in old Town and checked scores to see dogs won by 6.

Made a b line straight for the hostel and spent the rest of the day watching highlights and fapping to various wce, adelaide, North aND St Kilda supporters.

Hoping the gf stuffs up my time in interlaken!

Other than being there to see it in person, what could be better than watching the dogs win the flag in the shadow of the Bernese alps?

 

[giblj]

DID THAT REALLY ****ING HAPPEN??!! I've cried, I've laughed in disbelief. I can't wait to sober up and watch it all again


On iPhone using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[the dog's kennel]

Random thoughts:

- How amazing was the desperation on display during that game. I felt like the entire last 3 quarters we were clinging on by our fingertips. They were bigger, faster, fresher and more skilled than us. Every time we let them elude our grasp they had a shot on goal within seconds. Surely it would be impossible to totally smother them for 120 straight minutes with no more than 10-15 lapses? Achieved. Amazing.

- He hasn't gotten a huge amount of credit here tonight. But Libba is such a freak. He is the Harlem Globetrotters of in-close play. But what he does is so subtle and quick that the commentators usually don't even notice. The fact he inevitably does it all while being smashed only makes it more amazing.

- Clay for Norm Smith. Do it.

- Special credit to Macrae and Daniel for some extreme defensive running. In particular in that 4th quarter there were at least 4 occasions I saw GWS players all lining up down the field on their own when GWS won the ball and i was thinking "We are screwed". And then I'd see Daniel hairing back faster than I knew he could run and playing a crucial role in slowing them down/breaking up the play.

- Three or four years ago what would you have said if I told you that a CORDY would be holding their own in the ruck against SHANE MUMFORD? How much heart does this kid have?

- If we win the Grand Final next week and Tom Boyd does nothing else for the rest of his career that trade has already paid off just from that game alone. We do not win that game without him - no doubt. And that elusive 2nd Premiership is priceless.

- Has anyone else noticed the poetry of Callan Ward being forced out of the game (by the way i took no joy from that. Ward is their most admirable player) and the player who won the game for us was his replacement Jack Macrae? And the way Macrae won it was through determination and gut running, the precise qualities he was recruited for.

- I used to be so down on Toby Greene. I thought he was a loudmouth, arrogant, sniping flog. But now I realise that he isn't even in the Top 5 loudmouth, arrogant sniping flogs in that team. I took so much satisfaction in particular from Jeremy Cameron's failure. To so consistently get in people's faces while you yourself are stinking up the joint takes amazing #$&*head skills. I just hope that he gets himself suspended for every one of GWS' future premierships.

- I simply cannot believe this. At the start of the 4th I told my wife "this has 2009 written all over it". Glad our boys aren't the reading types!

- So proud. So grateful.

 

[Established1870]

You campaigners better win by 120+ next week.

 

[Super Hans]

Listen to the triple m call. Danny Frawley LOVING IT!!

Link?

 

[Martyn_30_]

Ive just got back to the hotel after the game and it still doesn't feel real. If you weren't at the l game I'm sorry but it was nothing like any other game this clubs played my vocabulary isn't large enough to describe the feeling of being there.

 

[Kermit]

I was in tears and giggling uncontrollably when Dicko marked. Didn't know until ten mins ago he missed!!!!!!!!

OMG- neither did I. As soon as he marked it, the crowd around me just started hugging and crying and stating the unbelievable fact that 'they've done it'. Was the most amazing part of the whole night. So glad I could go (even if the trip back did totally stuff my ear).

I still cannot comprehend that we are FINALLY in a Grand Final!!!!
So proud tonight

 

[the dog's kennel]

A few extra thoughts:

- All year Stringer has been bashed for being selfish. He's got the ball 35 out on the boundary, 35 seconds to go. A goal wins it. But the team thing to do is to hit a target and take 30 seconds off the clock. He ignores the goals completely and hits Dickson perfectly. Good man. Take that, footy media.

- How incredible was JJ's running? The guy can go at full speed all night. He didn't drop off a yard of pace from the 1st bounce to the final siren. It's an incredible athletic feat, not to mention seriously gutsy.

- And I shouldn't forget Hamling and Roberts. Both were clearly outmatched. But both played so smart. Smart usually wins.

- GWS clearly got the memo that Dickson melts under physical pressure. Not tonight he didn't. Attaboy Tory!

 

[Leon]

Bleed ****sticks.....

 

[Leon]

Tough break, Jeremy

Have fun on Mad Monday, you utter ****.

 

[total football]

Controversial post:

IMO Bev's predecessor Macca deserves some credit too tonight. Remember his "crack in" mantra?

It was there in spades throughout this finals series and most of the season.

And he wanted Clay Smith, and we can see why.

200%. Tonight's game was the brainchild of McCartney. Prioritising the recruitment of good blokes who would die for their teammates on the field every week and the focus on contested footy and team defense was made in order to win this exact game. 5 years ago he knew GWS were on the rise and that we couldn't compete at the draft table, we needed some sort of edge for when we would inevitably meet them at the business end of the year. And Clay Smith showing up and playing like that just topped it off - a bloke who epitomises Macca's 'bad player/good culture' mandate. "We don't care if you're no good, you do everything we ask so we want you around and we'll persist with you as long as we have to".

Beveridge is an amazing tactician and man-manager, but we need to acknowledge the work that was laid down for him to inherit this group of players. Tonight's win was no fluke, it was the product of a very deliberate strategy initially implemented 5 years ago by McCartney and perfected by Bevo.

 

[Trugo3013]

J?ust watched the 4th again. The Wood spoil on Greene was almost the game.
There were so many little things here and there, acts of desperation, McLean was pivotal and Stringer had two big moments (THAT kick and a goal saving tackle earlier), the Liberatore-Macrae read off the pack and subsequent kick, mark and goal was sublime. Macrae, the bloke we've collectively flayed alive at various times on here this year for his butchering of the last kick inside 50, nails the clutch goal in a Prelim. **** YES HE DOES.

Every single man wearing a Dogs jumper willed and worked that victory into reality. GWS, for all their talent, size, and aggression simply didn't have the will to make it happen. They know nothing of team and only of self. The desperation on show from the Dogs in the last 15mins of that game was exceptional.
These boys know Team. These men are Unity.

In contrast, going back to the Gee vs Haw Qualifying Final, Motlop kicks that point and delivers Hawthorn the ball with a minute to go, but here Stringer sums the situation up and squares it to Dickson, who ices the clock and also the game. Team over self. Stringer, perhaps our standout 'individual' could have had a shot (and it could be argued that he needed to for his own confidence), and may well have kicked a goal - but he did the team thing and not for the first time in that game.

One more week to go.
Come on Dogs.